DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.519#0043
BURIALS OF XXVTII DYNASTY
Merneit the daughter of the ? Khnum-em-hat, her
mother (was) Kher-ptah-gema-hap (?) The query
mark represents a group of signs of a builder, of
which the meaning is unknown. From these we can
draw up the family tree as follows :—
Hen-arer-Ameny ?
Pef-du-Bast^Areru
I
Khnum-em-hatyKher-Ptali-gema-Hap
Merneit.
The spelling of the name on Khnum-en-hat's
coffin, which is here read Pef-du-Bast, is uncertain, for
a / has been inserted in the first syllable, and Bast is
written with a cat-headed goddess instead of the
group found on Pef-du-Bast's own coffin. But as the
said sign itseif reads pej the name no doubt stands
for Pef-du-Bast. The unknown group which precedes
the name probably represents a trade or title, and
this was evidently handed on from father to son.
The title was not confined to this family, as it occurs
again on the table of offerings which comes from
quite another grave, no. 10, and is figured in pi. xxxi,
no. i.
62. Merneit's coffin has no beard attached to the
face, as she is a woman, although when dead she
becomes identified with Osiris, a male god. On
observing to see if this rule were adhered to, it was
found that out of 11 beardless coffins examined, 7
contained female skeletons, while 4 contained male,
and all the bearded ones contained male skeletons, so
that there was an intention to distinguish between
male and female coffins. Yet at this late period,
when work was carelessly done, the undertakers did
not always take the pains to supply a suitable
coffin.
No. 4 is the group found with the above burials,
the right figure belonging to Pef-du-Bast; the left
figure probably being Khnum-em-hat's. It was lying
on the top of the inner coffin as figured in pi. xxxiv,
and the tied-up pot in the middle was found behind
Khnum-em-hat's coffin, as were the packages of white
powder. This pot is of the type pi xxxiii, no. 15.
A package of this white powder was found stuffed
into the mouth of Merneit. Her mummy was stuffed
with rolls of cloth and boiled resin. A molar had
fallen out of the dry jaw, and had lodged in between
the third cervical vertebra and the wrappings. The
roof of the chamber had evidently fallen in, between
the time of the digging of the grave and Merneit's
burial, and three pieces of wood such as no. 6,
pi. xxx, were laid end to end on the broken stone, to
facilitate the sliding in of the coffin.
Nos. 5 and 6 are a set of Ptah-seker-Asar figures
found in the north chamber of this tomb. PI. xxx,
no, 4, shews an old basket, and no. 5 a part of a
thick straw mat, which was found at the bottom of
the well blocking up the entrance to the north
chamber. Repairs are visible at the bottom. The
straw mat (no. 5) is made by stitching together coils
of straw. Under these, at the very bottom of all, the
well was floored with branches of tamarisk.
6$. PI. xxx, no. r, is an inscribed table of offer-
ings from grave no. 10. For the sake of clearness
the inscription is published in line drawing on
pi. xxxi, no. 1. As mentioned above, it also
contains the unknown title. The table was found
with a vase of the type 59, which dates it to the
end of the period, and not long before the xxvith
dynasty. For in grave no. 13 this type was also
found with one specimen of type 6o, and it itself,
though not identical with any Egyptian type found
at Defenneh, belongs to the same general group as
nos. 19 and 21, Tanis If, pi. xxxiv. The table of
offerings seems to be of unusually fine workmanship
for so late a period; it is no doubt affected by the
artistic revival of the xxvith dynasty, and to this
agrees its Old Kingdom appearance. With it was
found a libation table in the form of a cartouche, four
eye amulets with the black eyebrows and pupils, and
one with the details incised.
No. 2 is the more usual quality of table of
offerings.
No, 3 is a tomb group from grave 69, which
contained a great deal of pottery, but unfortunately
none of it of dated shape, therefore it can only be
said to be of the xxiii-xxvth dynasty period. With
it were also found the beads and amulets figured in
the plate devoted to these objects, pi. xxxii, no. 3.
The group consists of a heavy grey granite mortar,
two bronze dishes, a bronze simpulum, and a bronze
mirror. The large beads were of pale greenish blue
glass, with three groups of dark blue spots on a white
ground, and also a plain one of pale blue, and the
small beads were both pale blue with single dark blue
spots outlined in white, and this again with a thin
brown stripe, or of white with single dark blue spots,
each outlined in one or more thin brown stripes.
There was also a curious clumsy bead of bad pale
blue glass covered over with white and yellow knobs.
The eye amulets were of the three classes then in
fashion, bright blue with a raised eyebrow and pupil
Merneit the daughter of the ? Khnum-em-hat, her
mother (was) Kher-ptah-gema-hap (?) The query
mark represents a group of signs of a builder, of
which the meaning is unknown. From these we can
draw up the family tree as follows :—
Hen-arer-Ameny ?
Pef-du-Bast^Areru
I
Khnum-em-hatyKher-Ptali-gema-Hap
Merneit.
The spelling of the name on Khnum-en-hat's
coffin, which is here read Pef-du-Bast, is uncertain, for
a / has been inserted in the first syllable, and Bast is
written with a cat-headed goddess instead of the
group found on Pef-du-Bast's own coffin. But as the
said sign itseif reads pej the name no doubt stands
for Pef-du-Bast. The unknown group which precedes
the name probably represents a trade or title, and
this was evidently handed on from father to son.
The title was not confined to this family, as it occurs
again on the table of offerings which comes from
quite another grave, no. 10, and is figured in pi. xxxi,
no. i.
62. Merneit's coffin has no beard attached to the
face, as she is a woman, although when dead she
becomes identified with Osiris, a male god. On
observing to see if this rule were adhered to, it was
found that out of 11 beardless coffins examined, 7
contained female skeletons, while 4 contained male,
and all the bearded ones contained male skeletons, so
that there was an intention to distinguish between
male and female coffins. Yet at this late period,
when work was carelessly done, the undertakers did
not always take the pains to supply a suitable
coffin.
No. 4 is the group found with the above burials,
the right figure belonging to Pef-du-Bast; the left
figure probably being Khnum-em-hat's. It was lying
on the top of the inner coffin as figured in pi. xxxiv,
and the tied-up pot in the middle was found behind
Khnum-em-hat's coffin, as were the packages of white
powder. This pot is of the type pi xxxiii, no. 15.
A package of this white powder was found stuffed
into the mouth of Merneit. Her mummy was stuffed
with rolls of cloth and boiled resin. A molar had
fallen out of the dry jaw, and had lodged in between
the third cervical vertebra and the wrappings. The
roof of the chamber had evidently fallen in, between
the time of the digging of the grave and Merneit's
burial, and three pieces of wood such as no. 6,
pi. xxx, were laid end to end on the broken stone, to
facilitate the sliding in of the coffin.
Nos. 5 and 6 are a set of Ptah-seker-Asar figures
found in the north chamber of this tomb. PI. xxx,
no, 4, shews an old basket, and no. 5 a part of a
thick straw mat, which was found at the bottom of
the well blocking up the entrance to the north
chamber. Repairs are visible at the bottom. The
straw mat (no. 5) is made by stitching together coils
of straw. Under these, at the very bottom of all, the
well was floored with branches of tamarisk.
6$. PI. xxx, no. r, is an inscribed table of offer-
ings from grave no. 10. For the sake of clearness
the inscription is published in line drawing on
pi. xxxi, no. 1. As mentioned above, it also
contains the unknown title. The table was found
with a vase of the type 59, which dates it to the
end of the period, and not long before the xxvith
dynasty. For in grave no. 13 this type was also
found with one specimen of type 6o, and it itself,
though not identical with any Egyptian type found
at Defenneh, belongs to the same general group as
nos. 19 and 21, Tanis If, pi. xxxiv. The table of
offerings seems to be of unusually fine workmanship
for so late a period; it is no doubt affected by the
artistic revival of the xxvith dynasty, and to this
agrees its Old Kingdom appearance. With it was
found a libation table in the form of a cartouche, four
eye amulets with the black eyebrows and pupils, and
one with the details incised.
No. 2 is the more usual quality of table of
offerings.
No, 3 is a tomb group from grave 69, which
contained a great deal of pottery, but unfortunately
none of it of dated shape, therefore it can only be
said to be of the xxiii-xxvth dynasty period. With
it were also found the beads and amulets figured in
the plate devoted to these objects, pi. xxxii, no. 3.
The group consists of a heavy grey granite mortar,
two bronze dishes, a bronze simpulum, and a bronze
mirror. The large beads were of pale greenish blue
glass, with three groups of dark blue spots on a white
ground, and also a plain one of pale blue, and the
small beads were both pale blue with single dark blue
spots outlined in white, and this again with a thin
brown stripe, or of white with single dark blue spots,
each outlined in one or more thin brown stripes.
There was also a curious clumsy bead of bad pale
blue glass covered over with white and yellow knobs.
The eye amulets were of the three classes then in
fashion, bright blue with a raised eyebrow and pupil